Carriage for ink cartridge and printhead for ink-jet printer

Abstract

A carriage for housing an ink cartridge as a source of supply of ink to an ink-jet printhead for an ink-jet printer comprises a snap hook for locking engagement with a lock lever that is pivotally supported by a case. The hook includes a cantilever fixed at one end to a sidewall of the case and a head for engagement with the lock lever. The cantilever is elastically inclined by said lock lever and allowed to snap back toward its unstressed state to put the head into a window of the lock lever into frictional engagement with a predetermined surface of a knob of the lock lever. For releasing this engagement, manually pressing the cantilever to incline the cantilever causes the head to move the knob until the window comes into registry with the head.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. A carriage for an ink cartridge as a source of supply of ink to an ink-jet printhead for an ink-jet printer, comprising: 
       a case for the ink cartridge;  
       a lock lever having one end portion pivoted to said case and an opposite end portion; and  
       a snap hook fixed to an external surface of said case, by a cantilever, for engagement with said lock lever at said opposite end portion, said cantilever having a portion extending substantially parallel to said external surface of said case thereby providing a space between said cantilever and said external surface of said case.  
     
     
       2. A carriage as claimed in claim  1 , wherein said lock lever is provided with a protrusion at an intermediate portion between said one and opposite end portions for engagement with the ink cartridge. 
     
     
       3. A carriage as claimed in claim  2 , wherein said opposite end portion of said lock lever is recessed for allowing said hook to snap back toward an unstressed position thereof. 
     
     
       4. A carriage as claimed in claim  2 , wherein said opposite end portion of said lock lever includes a window for allowing said hook to snap back toward an unstressed position thereof. 
     
     
       5. A carriage for an ink cartridge as a source of supply of ink to an ink-jet printhead for an ink-jet printer, comprising: 
       a case for the ink cartridge;  
       a lock lever having one end portion pivoted to said case and an opposite end portion; and  
       a snap hook fixed to an external surface of said case for engagement with said lock lever at said opposite end portion, said snap hook having a portion extending substantially parallel to said external surface of said case providing a space there between,  
       wherein said hook includes a head, and wherein said hook is elastically displaced by said lock lever and allowed to snap back toward an unstressed position thereof to put said head into engagement with said opposite end portion of said lock lever.  
     
     
       6. A carriage as claimed in claim  5 , wherein, with said head being in engagement with said opposite end portion of said lock lever, said hook is inclined manually to disengage said head from said opposite end portion of said lock lever. 
     
     
       7. A carriage as claimed in claim  6 , wherein said hook includes a cantilever having one end fixed to said case and supporting said head. 
     
     
       8. A carriage as claimed in claim  7 , wherein said case has a sidewall. 
     
     
       9. A carriage as claimed in claim  1 , wherein said lock lever has a knob at said opposite end portion, said knob having a predetermined surface, and wherein said hook includes a head formed with a mating surface for engagement with said predetermined surface. 
     
     
       10. A carriage as claimed in claim  9 , wherein said cantilever supports said head. 
     
     
       11. A carriage as claimed in claim  10 , wherein said opposite end portion of said lock lever includes a window that defines said predetermined surface of said knob, and wherein said window permits insertion of said head to bring said mating surface into engagement with said predetermined surface to allow said cantilever to snap back toward an unstressed position thereof. 
     
     
       12. A carriage for an ink cartridge as a source of supply of ink to an ink-jet printhead for an ink-jet printer, comprising: 
       a case for the ink cartridge;  
       a lock lever having one end portion pivoted to said case and an opposite end portion; and  
       a snap hook fixed to said case for engagement with said lock lever at said opposite end portion,  
       wherein said lock lever has a knob at said opposite end portion, said knob having a predetermined surface, and wherein said hook includes a head formed with a mating surface for engagement with said predetermined surface,  
       wherein said hook includes a cantilever that has one end portion fixed to said case and supports said head,  
       wherein said opposite end portion of said lock lever includes a window that defines said predetermined surface of said knob, and wherein said window permits insertion of said head to bring said mating surface into engagement with said predetermined surface to allow said cantilever to snap back toward an unstressed position thereof, and  
       wherein said predetermined surface is inclined with respect to a reference line segment that is tangential to a point on a path of rotation of said knob.  
     
     
       13. A carriage as claimed in claim  12 , wherein said predetermined surface is inclined at an angle of approximately 75 degrees. 
     
     
       14. A carriage for an ink cartridge as a source of supply of ink to an ink-jet printhead for an ink-jet printer, comprising: 
       a case for the ink cartridge;  
       a lock lever having one end portion pivoted to said case and an opposite end portion;  
       an opening within a surface of said lock lever at said opposite end portion; and  
       a snap hook fixed to an external surface of said case, by a cantilever, said cantilever having a portion extending substantially parallel to said external surface of said case, thereby providing a space between said cantilever and said external surface of said case, for engagement with said opening at said opposite end portion.  
     
     
       15. A carriage for an ink cartridge as a source of supply of ink to an ink-jet printhead for an ink-jet printer, comprising: 
       a case for the ink cartridge;  
       a snap hook fixed to said case;  
       a head positioned on said snap hook, said head formed with a mating surface; and  
       a lock lever including an end portion pivoted to said case and an opposite end portion, said lock lever having a predetermined surface for engaging with said mating surface of said head,  
       wherein said predetermined surface is inclined with respect to a reference line segment that is tangential to a point on a path of rotation of said lock lever.  
     
     
       16. A carriage as claimed in claim  5 , wherein said lock lever is provided with a protrusion at an intermediate portion between said one and opposite end portions for engagement with the ink cartridge. 
     
     
       17. A carriage as claimed in claim  15 , wherein said predetermined surface is oblique with respect to said reference line segment. 
     
     
       18. An ink cartridge carriage, comprising: 
       a case having a bottom;  
       an ink-jet printhead for an ink-jet printer, said ink-jet printhead being mounted to said bottom of said case;  
       an ink cartridge that contains ink to be supplied to said ink-jet printhead and has an ink supply port, said ink cartridge being removably inserted into said case with said ink supply port facing said ink-jet printhead;  
       an elastic cap of elastic material arranged on said ink-jet printhead at a position opposed to said ink supply port;  
       a lock lever having one end portion pivoted to said case and an opposite end portion, said lock lever being provided with a protrusion at an intermediate portion between said one end and opposite end portions in engagement with said ink cartridge;  
       a snap hook fixed to an external surface of said case, by a cantilever, said cantilever having a portion extending substantially parallel to said external surface of said case thereby providing a space between said cantilever and said external surface of said case,  
       a head positioned on said snap hook, said head being formed with a mating surface;  
       said lock lever having a knob formed with a predetermined surface at said opposite end portion thereof in engagement with said mating surface of said head,  
       said protrusion being pressed against said ink cartridge to cause elastic compression of said elastic cap, thereby to cause the reaction due to the elastic compression of said elastic cap to act through said ink cartridge and said lock lever to lift said knob along a reference line segment,  
       said predetermined surface of said knob and said mating surface of said head being inclined with respect to said reference line segment such that the lift of said knob causes said predetermined surface to firmly engage with said mating surface.